In over three years, knowledge brokers at York University and the University of Victoria have supported over 100 collaborative partnerships between researchers and local decision makers. One constant amongst all collaborations is the Opportunity Description Form. This one-page form, found on the ResearchImpact website provides users the chance to state in their own words what they are seeking from a research-based collaboration. The ResearchImpact Brokers then use these, similar to a calling card, to help identify a proper match. It is possible for organizations to produce multiple opportunity description forms each presenting a new request. The range of requests vary considerably; some organizations are seeking expertise in program evaluation, others are looking for capacity to help advance a project, and others are seeking collaborators to jointly develop a proposal.

Give some thought about the research-based needs in your organization then jot them onto the one-page opportunity description form and forward it to a knowledge broker in the ResearchImpact network . It is as simple as that, and the results can be truly transformative!

Stay tuned for new and exciting changes to the ResearchImpact website which will make this process even easier!